Big Board ranking: #31

Positional ranking: #4

 

Overview

Position: CB

College: Michigan

Class: Senior

Age: 23

 

Measurables

Height: 5’9 3/8”

Weight: 182 lbs.

Arm length: 30 7/8”

Hand size: 8 1/2″

 

Athletic testing

40-yard dash: 4.47 sec.

10-yard split: 1.51 sec.

Vertical jump: 40.0”

Broad jump: 131.0”

Bench press: 14 reps

3-cone drill: 6.99 sec.

Short shuttle: 4.01 sec.

 

Strengths

Playmaking slot defender. Former wide receiver with outstanding ball skills and production. Very dangerous with the ball in his hands. Twitchy and explosive. Exceptional speed. Outstanding agility. Extremely versatile. Experience playing outside the numbers. Great feet in man coverage. All over underneath routes/throws. Very comfortable playing zone coverage on the perimeter. Excellent fluidity in cover transitions as a zone defender. Hangs back to essentially play safety at times. Tremendous play recognition and instincts. Quick reaction time. Competes at the catch point. Great ability to break up throws late. Very impressive strength for his size. Extremely effective as a blitzer. Doesn’t tip his hand coming in from the slot. Terrific in run support. Fills in to tackle running backs. Consistently wraps as a tackler. Wrangles opponents down in the open field. Excellent pursuit. Will fight through traffic to reach the ball. Aggressive taking on blockers. Stays strong and sheds. Will deliver big hits when given the opportunity. Extremely tough and competitive. Communicates before the play. Short memory and looks to make up for mistakes. Committed team player that switched to defense when asked by former head coach Jim Harbaugh.

 

Weaknesses

Undersized in terms of height and build. Could be more prepared to play and cognizant of downfield routes. A bit slower reacting to route breaks when giving a cushion in man coverage. Was broken down in space but allowed touchdown after getting juked out from safety alignment in CFB Playoff win over Alabama (2023).

 

NFL comparison

Mike Hilton

 

Conclusion

Overall, Sainristil is a versatile and instinctive playmaker with outstanding ball skills and toughness as a tackler. The lack of size could cause him to fall, but he deserves serious consideration as a first-round pick considering the skillset and intangibles.